You couldn’t watch Sanford and Son without bracing yourself for the next face-off between Fred Sanford and his no-nonsense nemesis: Aunt Esther.
Played by the iconic LaWanda Page, Esther was loud, Bible-thumping, and always ready to call Fred “you fish-eyed fool!” But beneath the insults and epic stare-downs was a woman of incredible comedic timing and undeniable presence.
LaWanda Page brought fire and ferocity to the screen—breaking boundaries for Black women in comedy during a time when few were allowed to be bold, brash, and in charge.
“Aunt Esther was the original clapback queen,” one viewer joked on social media. “And LaWanda Page owned every second.”
What many don’t know is that Page was a stand-up comic before joining the show, and she often improvised her lines, bringing a real edge to her scenes with Redd Foxx. Their chemistry? Absolutely electric.
She passed in 2002, but her legacy? Unshakable.
